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Book Summary and Reviews of Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson

Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson

Never Have I Ever

by Joshilyn Jackson

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  • Jul 2019, 352 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

New York Times bestselling author Joshilyn Jackson—"an admired writer who deserves to be a household name" (Kirkus Reviews)—displays her masterful talent in this dark and deliciously addictive tale of domestic suspense.

In this game, even winning can be deadly...

Amy Whey is proud of her ordinary life and the simple pleasures that come with it—teaching diving lessons, baking cookies for new neighbors, helping her best friend, Charlotte, run their local book club. Her greatest joy is her family: her devoted professor husband, her spirited fifteen-year-old stepdaughter, her adorable infant son. And, of course, the steadfast and supportive Charlotte. But Amy's sweet, uncomplicated life begins to unravel when the mysterious and alluring Angelica Roux arrives on her doorstep one book club night.

Sultry and magnetic, Roux beguiles the group with her feral charm. She keeps the wine flowing and lures them into a game of spilling secrets. Everyone thinks it's naughty, harmless fun. Only Amy knows better. Something wicked has come her way—a she-devil in a pricey red sports car who seems to know the terrible truth about who she is and what she once did.

When they're alone, Roux tells her that if she doesn't give her what she asks for, what she deserves, she's going to make Amy pay for her sins. One way or another.

To protect herself and her family and save the life she's built, Amy must beat the devil at her own clever game, matching wits with Roux in an escalating war of hidden pasts and unearthed secrets. Amy knows the consequences if she can't beat Roux. What terrifies her is everything she could lose if she wins.

A diabolically entertaining tale of betrayal, deception, temptation, and love filled with dark twists leavened by Joshilyn Jackson's trademark humor, Never Have I Ever explores what happens when the transgressions of our past come back with a vengeance.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Be warned: It's a stay-up-all-night kind of book. Compulsively readable." - Kirkus Reviews

"Wonderful - suspense and surprises, real characters, and a scary, ominous backbeat.  This feels like the book Jackson was born to write." - Lee Child, New York Times Bestselling Author

"A smart, original thriller with real, compelling characters and a chilling reveal. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough." - Clare Mackintosh, New York Times bestselling author of I Let You Go, on Never Have I Ever

"The more Roux and Amy became obsessed with each other, the more obsessed I became with the book. Jackson is a master... Fans of Joshilyn Jackson and newcomers alike will eat this book up. I did, and I'm hungry again." - Sara Gruen, New York Times bestselling author of Water for Elephants

"What a storyteller!" - Adriana Trigiani

"Joshilyn Jackson is one the best writers of the new generation. " - Mark Childress

"Jackson excels at weaving a wholly absorbing story with vivid characters… [she makes] some affecting points about the importance of the stories we tell to each other and to ourselves." - Susan Rebecca White, author of A Soft Place to Land

This information about Never Have I Ever was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

Write your own reviewwrite your own review

Elizabeth @Silver's Reviews

Elizabeth @Silver's Reviews - Keeps you on the edge of your seat
A secret from her past and someone who happens to show up that may ruin everything.

During their regular, monthly book club meeting a knock on the door brings a new member who as the evening wears on definitely isn't welcome.

Roux knows something about Amy and innocently suggests they play a game called Never Have I Ever.
??
What dark secret could Amy be hiding, how does Roux know about it, and how did Roux find Amy?

Roux demanded money, and Amy had it. ??

Who would have thought after all this time someone would find out and take the time to look into what Amy did as a fifteen-year old?

??Roux did just that, and she was pretty clever, but Amy was pretty clever too so the game gets intense for both of them, but who has the most to lose???

Both women are strong and determined. Both know how to play games, but will the winner take all or will both players lose? ??

A tiny bit on the slow side at first, but not for long. Ms. Jackson took a nightmarish incident that could very well happen and turned it into a story line that will grab you and will have you wondering how someone would even think about doing something like this to someone and how they were able to acquire the information they found or how they even found the person.??

You will be on the edge of your seat as you turn the pages and anxiously await how this game goes. 5/5

This book was given to me as an ARC by the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Mary O. (Boston, MA)

Thriller
A book very difficult to put down! I love psychological suspense thrillers and this one does not let you down. A great summer beach read!!!

Susan B. (Hahira, GA)

Never Have I Ever
I have read Joshilyn Jackson's books from the very beginning but never have I ever been unable to put one down until I was through. Ms.Jackson never fails to captivate or entertain or hold my attention but this newest, Never Have I Ever is in a class by itself! Bravo!

Tracy B. (Pittsboro, NC)

Twisting Game Never Have I ever
Once I started I didn't want to put this book down. The character development was great. Just enough past & present to make it compelling. Wow I am still wondering if Amy got away with the SECRETS. Can she still live with them? The ending blew me away. Intrigue at its best.

Marcia C. (Jeffersonville, PA)

When Past Actions Come Back to Haunt
I have long been a fan of Joshilyn Jackson's books. Her heartwarming stories are steeped in southern ambience. Her characters are complex and quirky. However, in Never Have I Ever, Joshilyn Jackson takes a giant step away from her usual...and dives into the world of psychological suspense. This is her first effort. She has written a masterful story. It's the story of Amy, who has a secret in her life, and Roux, a predator, who will go to any lengths to expose it.

This book is a thriller from the moment Roux first walks into the neighborhood book club until the final page is turned. It's all about blackmail, deception, love of family and what one is willing to do to protect loved ones. The book has a number of unanticipated twists and turns and the pace doesn't let up. In fact there were times I had to stop reading just to catch my breath.

If you are already familiar with Joshilyn Jackson's work, Never Have I Ever will reveal a whole new side of this author. If you have never read any of her work, this is a great place to start. This book does not disappoint.

I am definitely recommending this book to my book club. Lots of lively conversation lurking here!

Dorothy M. (Broken Arrow, OK)

A Tale of Twists, Turns, & Deception
Amy Whey lives a good life. She is married to Davis, a professor, and is step-mother to Maddie, Davis's daughter from his first marriage. Together, Amy and Davis have an infant son, Oliver. What could mar this picture-perfect life? Perhaps the secret that she has been harboring since she was sixteen? Joshilyn Jackson takes readers on a terrifying journey in Never Have I Ever.
Amy is hosting the neighborhood book club, Brain Dead Mommies Book Club. All the members have arrived so Amy and Char are surprised when the doorbell rings announcing the arrival of someone. That someone turns out to be a new neighbor, Angelica, renting the house at the end of the block.
Angelica, who asks that everyone call her Roux, wants to join the book club. Roux attracts everyone's attention immediately. She also quickly commandeers the meeting, much to orderly Char's dismay.
Roux suggests that they play a game while Char wishes to focus on discussing the book. Roux further takes over the meeting by grabbing all the wine bottles from the bar and putting them in the middle of the discussion, continuing to fill everyone's glasses until the wine bottles are all empty. Then she starts on the liquor behind the bar, again filling glasses.
Roux starts the game she has wanted to play all along: Never Have I Ever. The game begins when everyone tells the worst thing they've done during the day, followed by the last week, and the eventual goal is to tell the worst thing you've ever done in your life.
Obviously, Roux has a plan; her neighbors simply do not know yet how far she is willing to go to learn their deepest, darkest secrets and finally to profit from those secrets, particularly Amy's.

...43 more reader reviews

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Author Information

Joshilyn Jackson Author Biography

Photo: E.V. Jackson

New York Times Bestselling novelist Joshilyn Jackson is the author of eight novels and a novella: The Almost Sisters, The Opposite of Everyone, Someone Else's Love Story, Gods in Alabama, Between, Georgia, The Girl Who Stopped Swimming, Backseat Saints, and A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty and the novella My Own Miraculous. Her books have been translated into a dozen languages, won SIBA's novel of the year, three times been a #1 Book Sense Pick, twice won Georgia Author of the Year, and three times been shortlisted for the Townsend prize.

A former actor, Jackson reads the audio versions of her novels; her work in this field has been nominated for the Audie Award, was selected by AudioFile Magazine for their best of the year list, has made the 2012 Audible All-Star list for highest ...

... Full Biography
Link to Joshilyn Jackson's Website

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